Monday, October 17, 2011

The Largest Homes in America

From Homes of the Rich:

Homes of the Rich Lists

The Biltmore Estate

The
Biltmore Estate is a French Renaissance-style mansion near Asheville,
North Carolina, built by George Washington Vanderbilt II between 1889
and 1895. It is the largest privately-owned in the United States, at
175,000 square feet and featuring 250 rooms. Still owned by one of
Vanderbilt's descendants, it stands today as one of the most prominent
remaining examples of the Gilded Age. In 2007, it was ranked eighth on
the List of America's Favorite Architecture by the American Institute of
Architects.

Fairfield

Ira
Rennert's home, dubbed Fairfield, is located in Sagaponack, NY. Rennert
named his home after the adjoining body of water, Fairfield Pond. The
house faces the Atlantic Ocean and its grounds measure 63 acres. The
buildings, which total over 110,000 square feet, including the
66,000-square-foot main house, have an Italianate facade, 29 bedrooms,
and 39 bathrooms. The house has a dozen chimneys and a
Mediterranean-style tile roof as well as a 91-foot long formal dining
room, a basketball court, a bowling alley, two tennis courts, two squash
courts, and a $150,000 hot tub. Its property taxes in 2007 were
$397,559.00. Based on these taxes, the home is currently valued at $170
million making it the most valuable home in the Hamptons. is considered
one of the largest occupied residential compounds in America.